Death of CentOS (AI Update)

​The CentOS Project has undergone significant changes in recent years, culminating in the discontinuation of CentOS Linux. Here's an overview of what transpired:​

📉 End of CentOS Linux In December 2020, Red Hat announced a strategic shift, transitioning the CentOS Project's focus from CentOS Linux—a downstream, production-ready rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)—to CentOS Stream. This change led to the early end-of-life (EOL) for CentOS Linux 8 on December 31, 2021, and CentOS Linux 7 on June 30, 2024 .​ Wikipedia +5 blog.centos.org +5 centos.org +5 The world's open source leader +3 Microsoft Learn +3 AlibabaCloud +3

The decision was met with significant backlash from the community, as many users had relied on CentOS Linux for its stability and long-term support. The abrupt shift disrupted numerous production environments that depended on CentOS's predictable lifecycle .​ ZDNET +1 blog.centos.org +1

🔄 Introduction of CentOS Stream CentOS Stream was introduced as a rolling-release distribution that sits upstream of RHEL. Unlike CentOS Linux, which followed RHEL releases, CentOS Stream serves as a preview of the next minor RHEL release, allowing developers to see what's coming and contribute to future RHEL versions .​ ZDNET +8 Wikipedia +8 centos.org +8 centos.org +1 blog.centos.org +1

While this model benefits those involved in RHEL development, it doesn't align with the needs of users seeking a stable, production-ready environment, leading many to seek alternatives.